I’ve been playing with the Sprint Overdrive 4G mobile hotspot device that the company sent me a few weeks ago, and I’ve gotta say, this thing has come in handy way more often than I thought it would. So much so, in fact, that I find it to be an essential tool and I carry it around in my left jacket pocket everywhere I go at this point, and charge it over USB when I am in the car driving somewhere. I’ll be giving a few examples of how the 4G Overdrive device has come in handy over the next few days, but I wanted to start with this one because I know so many iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS owners out there that cry to the heavens to be saved from the vile clutches of AT&T and their constant network FAIL.

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Damaka has announced the release of its Live Video Streaming solution for laptops and certain BlackBerry and Android devices. So, while EMT’s with BlackBerry and Android phones will be able to keep attending physicians in the ER in the loop as to an incoming patient’s condition with real-time video updates, woe betide the unlucky EMT who has a crap data plan or an iPhone.

Damaka’s Live Video Streaming solution, as they’re calling it, provides instant communication of video and voice via an encrypted channel that includes session archival & annotation features. Live video streaming is also able to be transmitted to multiple receiving devices over WiFi /3G / 4G network depending on the device. I just can’t wait to have a live video conference streaming from my mobile device while I’m driving, staring at my dash-mounted Garmin and trying navigate rush hour traffic—the future is NOW!

We caught up with Clear, who had just launched their new 27-city 4G mobile broadband network, at CES 2010’s It Won’t Stay in Vegas blogger party. We talk a bit about what 4G is, why it’s better (way better) than 3G, and also give you a look at the technology in action. Clear has partnered with Sprint on the rollout of 4G, so all that 4G that Sprint has been talking about recently? That’s thanks to the efforts of what Clear (formerly known as ClearWire) has been doing in the 4G space.

Verizon Wireless is taking a stand - in the race to deploy 4G LTE mobile broadband service, they don’t want to come in second to AT&T or Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, the latter of which said it would offer such a network commercially in 2010. According to executive vice president and chief technology officer of Verizon Communications, Dick Lynch, they plan to begin rolling the enhanced network capabilities out by about this time next year, ahead of the original 2010 timetable.

The original plan called for initial rollouts in 2010, with a wide commercial launch in 2011 and true mass availability coming shortly after. But according to an IDC analyst, Verizon’s new, more aggressive deployment schedule was likely inspired by the threat of launching after another company. Verizon wants to be first! Can you blame them? They don’t have the iPhone...

If you’re wondering what LTE is, it’s a fourth-generation wireless data system expected to be the next step up in speed and capacity for carriers using the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) platform, which is dominant in most of the world. Like Sprint Nextel’s already deployed (in one city) WiMax, it should deliver multiple megabits per second of throughput.

After introducing LTE, Verizon plans to offer subscribers small in-home base stations known as femtocells, which will extend the signal indoors - likely including built-in Wi-Fi, which will allow newer personal electronics such as cameras to automatically exchange information over the air. Imagine getting home from a trip and having your pictures automatically upload to the internet once you walk through the door. This may be a reality sooner than you think.

Today in South Korea, Samsung Electronics demonstrated new 4G wireless technology to the press. Samsung showed 4G technology could carry speeds of 100Mbps over the air. That’s more bandwidth than most current broadband providers can even harness. The demo took place on a bus while traveling across the city. Samsung reps demonstrated high speed access through HDTV streaming as well as data access. According to Samsung, this type of performance should be attainable whether standing still or traveling at over 70mph on the highway.

The speeds demonstrated by Samsung best the WiMAX standard that is currently being used to supply wireless network access city-wide to customers at speeds of up to only 20Mbps. Samsung also did some demonstration showing that the 4G technology could potentially even hit speeds of up to 1Gbps! 1Gbps wireless…the best I can get is Comcast’s ultimate connection at a rockin 6Mbps. Go figure.